These dust clouds — intense plumes of citron,Just a Stranger blush, and magenta — are not signs of blooming as they tend to be on Earth but the final sputters of a dying star in this new deep space image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
At the center of this blossom-like structure is a blue-white star, born 30 times more massive than the sun. Because it is old and close to collapsing into a black hole, it burns hotter and generates powerful gas winds. It's called Wolf-Rayet 124, a star in the midst of a rare and brief phase before going supernova.
Scientists released the new snapshot during the South by Southwest Conference & Festivals on Tuesday in Austin, Texas. The event included a NASA and European Space Agency expert panel to discuss the telescope’s latest scientific discoveries.
"This is Carl Sagan's stardust concept, the fact that iron in your blood and the calcium in your bones were literally forged inside of a star that exploded billions of years ago," said NASA astrophysicist Amber Straughn at the conference. "That's what we're seeing in this new image — that dust is spreading out into the cosmos and will eventually create planets, and this is how we got here."
SEE ALSO: Webb telescope just saw more galaxies in a snapshot than Hubble's deepest lookThis Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Webb, the preeminent observatory in the sky, was built to see an early period of the universe, using a large primary mirror that can detect invisible light at infrared wavelengths. A lot of dust and gas in space obscures the view to extremely distant and inherently dim light sources, but infrared waves can penetrate through the clouds.
Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newslettertoday.
The star showcased in the new image is located some 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. It is wrapped in a cocoon of gas and dust — shedded layers of the star commingled with complicated elements found deep inside a star like carbon. So far, it has sloughed off 10 sun's-worth of material, according to researchers.
"Iron in your blood and the calcium in your bones were literally forged inside of a star that exploded billions of years ago."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
A previous Webb study makes a strong case that Wolf-Rayet stars produce carbon-rich dust molecules, the same chemical that largely makes up humans and other life on Earth. Astronomers study these rare Wolf-Rayet stars for insight into how cosmic dust spreads through the universe, seeding new galaxies and stars, said Macarena Garcia Marin, an ESA scientist on the panel.
With Webb, scientists will try to better understand dust-making factories like this special star.
"We know that when the stars are this big, they live fast. They go through different stages in very quick time," said Marin. "And only some of them end up being in this Wolf-Rayet (phase) to later on become a supernova."
Shop Owala's Memorial Day Sale for 30% off tumblers
Twitter is experimenting with breaking news alerts
5 Lightning headphones to stuff in the stockings of iPhone 7 owners
7 can't miss apps: 'Dots & Co.,' Facetune 2, Triller and more
Q&A with tendercare founder and CEO Shauna Sweeney
Company behind the EpiPen is caught up in another drug price scandal
This proposal photo has the internet totally delighted
Airbnb is getting into the airline booking disruption game with 'Flights'
NYT Strands hints, answers for May 18
The Golden Globes red carpet will stream on Twitter, because you'll already be there
How to Easily Make iPhone Ringtones Using Only iTunes
Honda uses Oculus Rift to bring holiday VR light show to hospitalized children
Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the 16 'CS:GO' teams in the ELeague Major
Americans still prefer physical stores, but online shopping continues to grow
Outdoor speaker deal: Save $20 on the Soundcore Boom 2
'Ellen' interview with pint
A deer decided to stop by the gym for an unexpected workout
This proposal photo has the internet totally delighted
Sony launches new flagship XM6 headphones: Order them now
Group video calling lands on Facebook Messenger
The best Pride Month memes of 2019We're not fooling anyone with Facetune and 'pretty' filtersEcuador vs Senegal livestream: How to watch FIFA World Cup Group A liveHow the queer community can embrace the asexual spectrumPeople are really getting into 'social experiment' surveys on TwitterWordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 28Mermaid Parade returns to New York as summer 2019 kicks off: PhotosElon Musk says he'll make his own smartphone if Apple bans TwitterPeople are really getting into 'social experiment' surveys on Twitter'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for November 30Marianne Williamson's oddball debate answers have made her into a memeCameroon vs Serbia livestream: How to watch FIFA World Cup Group G liveJake Paul and Tana Mongeau got engaged and no one is sure if it's realNetherlands vs Qatar livestream: How to watch FIFA World Cup Group A liveA viral anti10 best gifts for people who are obsessed with their iPhoneApple's latest short film is a glimpse into the lives of users with disabilitiesLizzo's 'Boys' meme jumps from TikTok to TwitterCory Booker's peeved reaction to Beto speaking Spanish at the debate is an instant memeJapan zoo's furry Good news, animals. Kesha is about to drop a new song. Two strangers hit it off after weird iMessage glitch brings them together University sends acceptance letters with AR, and it's blowing minds Samsung plans to launch smart speaker powered by Bixby, report says There are billions of grains of revenge in this anti Nikon Coolpix 900 review: An unforgettable camera with 8x optical zoom KFC's mission to send a chicken sandwich to the edge of space comes to an early end Cristiano Ronaldo posts adorable photo with all his children and we're swooning Tennis fans queuing all night for Wimbledon opening is ridiculously British This week in apps: Hail an UberBOAT, be green, fight UFOs, and much more 'Fantastic Beasts 2' details: New locations, new characters & more Stephen Hawking is wrong about runaway greenhouse on Earth and here's why The best games coming out in the rest of 2017 This Star Wars pregnancy announcement has a hilariously dark twist Runaway portable toilets menace fleeing passerby during Moscow storm Writer blasts Twitter user for his viral tweet about the 'friend zone' Dad who thinks he's funny loves giving heavily edited birthday cards Tupac's break Apple 2017 5K iMac 27 This sleeping bus is another attempt to make travel more comfortable
1.92s , 10131.6484375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Just a Stranger】,Unobstructed Information Network